(Crossville, TN)Â The U.S. Chess Federationâs (USCF) 107th Annual U.S. Open Championship will be held at the Double Tree Hotel in Chicago-Oak Brook, Illinois August 8 â 13, 2006. Over 500 players are expected to compete for this prestigious title and join the rankings of previous U.S. Open Champions. Â

The guaranteed prize fund is $40,000. There are three playing schedules offered in an effort to accommodate players: Traditional (9-Day), 6-Day, 5-Day. All players will be merged after having played five games.

The U.S. Blitz (quick chess) Championship will be held on August 12 with a guaranteed prize fund of $2000. The competition consists of 14 games, five minutes per player per game!

As is traditional, daily side events will also take place, each with their own prize fund.

The Arnold Denker Tournament of High School Championships will begin Sunday, August 6 at 11 am and conclude Friday, August 11. This event was started by Grandmaster Arnold Denker in 1985. The Susan Polgar National Invitational for Girls, a new event which was created in 2004 by GM Susan Polgar, will also begin Sunday, August 6 and conclude August 11. The Top age 13 winner from each event will receive the annual Ursula Foster Scholarship Award which involves each winner getting $500.00 to spend on chess related books and equipment.

Over and above these events, the U.S. Open also serves as our annual Delegate Meeting venue. Committee members meet at their respective workshops Wednesday, August 9 until Friday, August 11. The Delegates then meet Saturday, August 12 and Sunday, August 13.

On Saturday, August 12 between noon-2pm the annual Awards Luncheon will be held. At the luncheon the recipients of the special awards chosen by the USCF Executive Board will be recognized. The recipients are:

Chess Tournament. You have to play in the chess tournament to play in the golf tournament. Please email Mike Wojcio if interested: chessgolfmarathons@prodigy.net. There will be a Chess in Education Workshop - August 7-8, 2006 and the American Chess University Hosts FIDE Trainers Seminars August 11-12, 2006.Â Additional details can be found at: http://www.uschess.org/tournaments/2006/usopen/

The United States Chess Federation (USCF), founded in 1939, serves as the governing body for chess in the United States and is now headquartered in Crossville, Tennessee. USCF is devoted to extending the role of chess in American society. It promotes the study and knowledge of the game of chess, for its own sake as an art and enjoyment, and as a means for the improvement of society. The USCF is a not-for-profit membership organization with over 80,000 members.